Trustees' Annual Report for the period
Period start date Period end date To 01 04 2023 31 03 2024
From
Charity name Social Education Voluntary Association (SEVA) Trust UK Other names charity is known by SEVA Trust UK Registered charity number (if any) 1172654 Charity's principal address 44 Wood End Close Sharnbrook Bedford Postcode MK44 1JY
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 |
Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates acted if not for whole **year ** |
Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (if any) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charan Sekhon(Mr) | Chairman | Charity trustees (by resolution) | ||
| Dr Baljit Upadhyay (Mrs) | Vice-Chair | Charity trustees (by resolution) | ||
| Shital Gandhi(Mrs) | CommunityEngagement | Charity trustees (by resolution) | ||
| Kunwarjeet Pannu(Mrs) | Youth GroupCoordinator | Charity trustees (by resolution) | ||
| Satnam Galsin(Mr) | Treasurer | Charity trustees (by resolution) | ||
Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)
Name Dates acted if not for whole year
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Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
Type of adviser Name Address
Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)
Section B Structure, governance and management
Description of the charity’s trusts
Constitution adopted on 22/01/2017 (amended on 20/02/2019) Type of governing document (eg. trust deed, constitution) Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) How the charity is constituted (eg. trust, association, company) Appointed by resolution by the charity trustees Trustee selection methods
(eg. appointed by, elected by)
Additional governance issues (Optional information)
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:
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policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;
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the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;
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relationship with any related parties;
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trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.
Policy & Procedures in place:
1. Guidance for Volunteers
2. Risk Assessment
3. Complaints Policy
4. Equality & Diversity Policy
5. Safeguarding Children Policy
6. Safeguarding Adult Policy
7. Date Protection Policy
8. Photography/Filming Consent Forms
9. Volunteer Recruitment/Application Form
10. Volunteer Induction Check List
11. Volunteer Code of Conduct
12. Volunteer Expenses Policy
13. Feedback Forms
14. GDPR Info & Notifications
15. International Projects (Risk Assessment Checklist & Matrix) 16. Students hardship grant application form
Section C Objectives and activities
Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document
Education – For the public benefit to promote the education of students from Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background in Bedfordshire and elsewhere in England and for underprivileged communities in northern India and elsewhere in India in such ways as the charity trustees think fit, including, but not limited to:
- (1) awarding to such persons scholarships, maintenance allowances or grants tenable at any university, college, school or institution of higher or further education;
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- (2) providing coaching, mentoring to furtherance of that education, guidance for higher studies, oversees studies or for entry to any occupation, trade or profession on leaving any educational establishment.
Health & Wellbeing – For the public benefit to promote health & wellbeing among BAME communities in Bedfordshire and elsewhere in England and underprivileged communities in northern India and elsewhere in India including, but not limited to:
(3) coordinating health awareness (including mental health) and yoga sessions;
(4) arranging or assisting in organising health checks .
Environment - To promote for the benefit of the public the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment among BAME communities in Bedfordshire and elsewhere in England and underprivileged communities, farmers and pollution affected areas in northern India and elsewhere in India in such ways as the charity trustees think fit, including, but not limited to:
(5) coordinating sessions to raise awareness of ecological and environmental sustainability , local and global environmental issues and challenges; (6) arranging or assisting in environmental monitoring and sharing the findings with the local communities and the appropriate bodies; (7) promoting eco-friendly and sustainable lifestyles including helping to explore renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power.
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Main Activities :
1.1 Continuation of Support Projects in Bedfordshire
Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)
Cost of living crisis brought challenging times for all. In addition to negative impacts on health (Post Covid19), record level of inflation hit all communities hard especially the most disadvantaged, Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities, vulnerable and elderly, low-paid and part-time workers, the international students and people experiencing homelessness have been impacted severely. We are a small but a dedicated charity which is run by all unpaid volunteers. We do not have any paid staff in our charity (more details in the next section, page 8). As listed in the objects section, we mainly focus on (but not limited to) Education, Health & Environment related projects in Bedfordshire and supporting education and welfare projects for disadvantaged children and communities in India. Following Corona pandemic in 2020, the Trustees decided to focus on social welfare and community support projects helping the elderly and vulnerable, people with special dietary needs and international students. During 2023-24, we continued our support projects for families and elderly facing hardships, international students (incld. help with their fee & accommodation matters), people experiencing homelessness and migrants with small children who were housed at temporary accommodation. Leading from the front and under the leadership of our Chair and Trustees, many new volunteers joined in to support the communities. We also worked closely with the other organisations and charities to ensure a best use of resources and manpower and we delivered 350+ food parcels and other daily use items. We continued our support for the most vulnerable and the elderly people. From 01 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 we supported: 1. 25+ families and elderly facing hardships 2. 30+ int. students (incld. fee & accommodation matters) 3. 50+ people experiencing homelessness or hardships 4. 35+ migrants in temporary accommodation
Total: 350+ Food Parcels and 150+ Hot-meals Note : We receive a significant amounts of food donations and hot meals direct from our donors and volunteers and the supporting partners that helped to keep our charity spending low and allowing us to use funds towards the other core projects that were halted due to COVID19 (please refer to our previous reports). Though we closed our food support hub in April 2021, our staple food support and hot meals for the most vulnerable and exceptional cases is still continuing to-date. More details are on our social media handles (Facebook, Twitter & Instagram) @SEVATrustUK We would like to thank everyone who has sent us direct feedback and through social-media. 1.2 Donation of funds and staple food to support people facing homelessness and rough-sleepers in Bedford Working with SMART CJS (a charity supporting homelessness), we continued our regular support for people experiencing homelessness. We donated £250 and provided many deliveries of staple food. 1.3 Support for migrants facing hardships in Bedford 4 March 2012
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Working closely with St Peters Church, we supported 35 migrants who were forced to leave their own countries due to war/terrorism issues (Ukraine, Afghanistan and some African countries). They were housed in temporary accommodation and we helped them to meet their cultural and ethnic food needs. 1.4 Continuation of Support for International students and liaison with universities Our team dealt with a wide range of students’ issues including requests for advice and help about tuition fee, rent & accommodation, health, wellbeing and emotional support. We continued our support efforts and dealt with regular students queries for help who lost their part time jobs or unable to support themselves. . We continue to receive positive feedback from students. Many left their feedback and comments on Google review and on our social media platforms @SEVATrustUK 1.5 Work with Bedford Borough, UNISON & other organisations We worked closely with Bedford Borough Council lead community support and awareness campaigns and time to time promoted the key messages with the local communities. We continue to work with UNIOSN Welfare Officers and Reps of Bedford and Luton who previously helped to identify people in need. We donated £213 for equipment for local charity & community group helping elderly and families from diverse communities to meet their various needs. 1.6 Volunteers network & working policies and procedures In order to respond to emergency support situations, we need a strong network of volunteers. We are pleased to strengthen our volunteers and supporting partners’ network. We have robust policies and procures in place to ensure we follow the latest guidelines and rules. We regularly review our policies and procedures to ensure we can provide a safe working environment to all our volunteers. We feel proud to complete an another challenging year without a single H&S related incident or any other shortfall. This demonstrates our commitment, ability to plan, handle and deliver complex and emergency projects within tight deadlines. Big Thanks to All our supporting partners and volunteers The last few years have been very challenging years for all but we reached-out large number of people and students. It was only possible due to a collective effort and support by all. We received an amazing support from many local and national organisations who provided us significant amounts of the staple food we needed. Many individuals offered to help us with food shopping, door to door deliveries and other support. We would like to thank everyone who supported us in one way or another. We feel proud to host ‘An Awards Evening and a Community Dinner’ at Kempston Rovers Foorball Clubhouse in Sept 2023. The charitable event brought the diverse communities of Bedfordshire together and promoted volunteering and community support.
The panel of special guests included Baroness Young of Scone, MP Mohammad Yasin and Jagtar Singh Basi OBE. The event was attended by senior members of local communities, over 20 leading charities & voluntary organisations of Bedford involving Gurdwaras, Temples, Sports 5 March 2012
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Council, Youth Groups, UNISON East Anglia Branch, and representatives of local businesses, volunteers and the supporting partners of SEVA Trust. For further details please visit the following links: https://www.bedfordindependent.co.uk/international-bedford-basedcharity-celebrates-the-support-of-towns-communities/ https://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/news/volunteering-efforts-and-diversecommunity-support-recognised-by-seva-trust-uk-bedford-team-4347910 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80FNiNRleNc Health and Wellbeing 2.1 Continuation of support for Yoga and Health sessions We launched a new face to face health awareness, exercise and yoga classes in March 2023 that has been well used by BAME females. This is regarded as ‘hard to reach’ group. We also continue to promote International Yoga Day and other Health Awareness Days among diverse communities. Education 3.1 Promoting job opportunities Many public sectors are struggling to reflect the communities they serve. They are not able to attract enough candidates from diverse communities. Throughout the year, we promote local job opportunities with the Council, Fire & Rescue, Police, Schools, NHS, etc. among students and local diverse communities. 3.2 Promoting Community Cohesion SEVA Trust team lead by our Chair Charan Sekhon, played an instrumental role in supporting Bedford Bandhan Group who organised Indian Independence Day celebrations in Bedford on 15/08/23. The Indian Independence Day event involved cultural program followed by unfurling of the Indian flag at the old Town Hall, Bedford. The event was attended by local dignitaries, leaders and reps of diverse communities and large number of attendees. Our team engaged with many community and youth groups and helped in sharing information with them. This was a great community and educational event that helped in promoting community cohesion and involved the youth and diverse community groups. 3.3 Community Support and Other Updates We attended various other community meetings/events (for example our stand at Festival of Lights) and educational events throughout the year to promote diversity and community cohesion. Further details are available on our social media platforms. 3.4 Community support and educational projects in India SEVA Trust UK (India) Team lead many projects supporting disadvantaged families and children by providing immunity booster kits, daily use essentials, health awareness workshops, blood donation camps 6 March 2012*
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and many more. More details are available on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram: @SEVATrustIndia Note:* All projects in India are led by SEVA Trust UK (India) which is a registered public trust in India. For further details please visit: www.sevatrustuk.org Environment** We supported a wide range of environmental projects in Bedfordshire including Rivercare Cleanup, Tree Plantation and prompting environmental awareness messages via our social media platforms. In April 2023 we held an online session on Environmental Awareness attended by 46 people and reps from various diverse communities groups. SEVA Trust UK (India) Team lead many tree planation projects in India. Further details are available at Facebook @SEVATrustIndia
Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)
| Youmay chooseto include further statements, where relevant, about: •policy on grantmaking; •policy programme related investment; •contribution made by volunteers. |
Our motto is 'True Service to Humanity'. All SEVA Trust UK team members (Trustees, Supporting Teams and Advisers) are fully committed volunteers. Any donations received go to fulfil the charitable aims and objectives,not to pay salaries to anyone or expensive overheads. Here is the financial value of unpaid and voluntary work delivered by our teams to support local communities through Education, Health, Environmental work and Social Welfare (based on national minimal wage 2023 figures) 5 Trustees–36 hrs /week = £375/week= £19,500 per year (£10.42 per hr) 4 Youth volunteers (age 21 to 24) – 12 hrs /week = £122 = £6344 per year (10.18 per hr) 4 Youth volunteers (age 18 to 20) – 8 hrs /week = £3115 per year (£7.49 per hr) 12 Volunteers (age 25 & over) – 36 hrs/week = £342/week = £19,500 per year (£10.42 per hr) Total contributions=£48, 460 per year SEVA Trust UK Team has given voluntary input equivalent to 48.5k in 2023/24. This does not include the work and input given by SEVA volunteers in India. |
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Section D Achievements and performance
Achievements, Awards and Media Coverage Summary of the main achievements of the charity https://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/news/charity-give-support-to-people- during the year facing-homelessness-in-bedford-4248851 https://www.bedfordindependent.co.uk/international-bedford-basedcharity-celebrates-the-support-of-towns-communities/ https://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/news/volunteering-efforts-and-diversecommunity-support-recognised-by-seva-trust-uk-bedford-team-4347910 https://despardesweekly.co.uk/support-for-people-facing-homelessnessin-bedford-by-seva-trust-uk/ Media updates, feedback from the beneficiaries and our supporting partners We received an excellent feedback from many beneficiaries, community reps, charity groups and supporting partners. There has been many other updates. For further details please check out our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube links: @SEVATrustUK https://twitter.com/SEVATrustUK https://www.facebook.com/SEVATrustUK/ https://www.instagram.com/sevatrustuk/?hl=en - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4Ff7Wj TIWmgUEFFEPdJJQ/videos
Section E Financial review
Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves
All details covered in our financial statement (Ref - Receipts and payments accounts Report CC16a)
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Details of any funds materially N/A in deficit
Further financial review details (Optional information)
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:
All details covered in our financial statement (Ref - Receipts and payments accounts Report CC16a)
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the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);
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how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;
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investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.
Section F Other optional information
Section G Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Signature(s) Satnam Singh Galsin Full name(s) Charan Kanwal Singh Sekhon Position (eg Secretary, Chair, Chair & Trustee Treasurer & Trustee etc) Date 10/11/2024
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| SEVA Trust UK Social Education Voluntary Association (SEVA) Trust UK |
SEVA Trust UK Social Education Voluntary Association (SEVA) Trust UK |
SEVA Trust UK Social Education Voluntary Association (SEVA) Trust UK |
1172654 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receipts andpayments accounts | |||
| For the period from |
01.04.2023 | To | 31.03.2024 |
CC16a
| Section A Receipts and payments | Section A Receipts and payments | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 7,301 - - - 501 - - - 7,802 - - - 7,802 2,070 463 - 101 156 87 599 52 - 6,887 10,415 - - - 10,415 - 2,613 - 44,273 41,660 |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Total funds to the nearest £ 7,301 - - - 501 - - - 7,802 - - - 7,802 2,070 463 - 101 156 87 599 52 - 6,887 10,415 - - - 10,415 - 2,613 |
Last year to the nearest £ |
|
| Donations & Gift Aid | 7,301 | 6,121 | ||||
| Grants | - | 1,000 | ||||
| Refunds | - | |||||
| Fundraising | - | - | ||||
| Bank Interest | 501 | - | ||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
7,802 | 7,121 | ||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
||||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| Sub total | - | - | ||||
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
||||||
| 7,121 | ||||||
| Charitable activities & projects (Education, Food Support & Health ) |
2,070 |
5,406 | ||||
| Donations to other charities or gropus | 463 | 1,000 | ||||
| Hardship (COVID19) grant to students | - | - | ||||
| Insurance | 101 | 97 | ||||
| Other Expenditure (postage, stationary, publicity&printing) |
156 | 50 | ||||
| Telephone,IT support & website costs | 87 | 128 | ||||
| Charityevents & meetings | 599 | 167 | ||||
| Goverence Costs | 52 | - | ||||
| Staff salary- Nopaid staff | - | - | ||||
| Educational supportprojects in India | 6,887 | 100 | ||||
| **Sub total ** | 10,415 | 6,948 | ||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
||||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| **Sub total ** | - | - | ||||
| Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
||||||
| 6,948 | ||||||
| - 2,613 | - | - | - 2,613 | 173 | ||
| - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 44,273 | - | - | 44,273 | 44,100 | ||
| 41,660 | - | - | 41,660 | 44,273 |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
1
18.12.2024
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets |
Signature NA Details Total Bank Accounts balance on 31/03/24 Cash in hand Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) NA Details Details NA Details NA |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 41,648 - 13 - - 41,661 - OK OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) - - - - - Print Name Satnam Galsin Charan Sekhon |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| OK | |||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
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| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| When due (optional) |
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| Date of approval |
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| Satnam Galsin | 10.11.2024 | ||
| Charan Sekhon | 10.11.2024 |
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
2
18.12.2024